Once upon a time, in the deepest part of the forest, in the thick grass, there lived a rabbit. It was a very smart and cunning rabbit. He could deceive any animal in the forest.
One day a rabbit was sitting under a bush and thinking about who to play a trick on. And just then a bear came out to the edge of the forest. The rabbit ran up to the bear and started a conversation with him:
-Where are you coming from, Mister Bear? How big you are! I have never seen such a big and beautiful bear.
The bear really liked the rabbit's praise and looked around proudly. At this time, a breeze suddenly blew, moved the pine needles, and they rustled - exactly like the sound of a distant waterfall. The rabbit asked:
-What's that noise?
“I don’t know,” answered the stupid bear, “I’ve never heard of it before.”
“This is the sound of a waterfall that my grandfather left me as an inheritance,” said the rabbit.
- What about the big inheritance? - asked the bear.
“It’s so big that it’s impossible to tell,” answered the rabbit, and he jumped and galloped away.
Then the bear really wanted to know about the rabbit’s inheritance, and he wandered after him.
- Tell me, brother, about your grandfather’s inheritance! - he asked.
“I can show you only one thing from my grandfather’s inheritance,” agreed the rabbit, “this is a large bell, which is hidden in a safe place.” If you want to watch, follow me.
After some time, the bear and rabbit approached a large tree. A large bee's nest hung on one of its branches.
“This is the bell that my grandfather left me,” said the rabbit and pointed to the nest, “but this is not an ordinary bell: if you hit it quietly three times, you will get what you dream of.”
The bear looked at a bee's nest the size of a cart wheel and believed that it was a bell. He really wanted to ring that bell.
“Let me hit you three times,” the bear asked.
“No, you can’t,” said the rabbit.
But the bear didn’t listen to him. He quickly climbed the tree. The rabbit saw this and was happy, but for show he shouted to the bear:
“If you ring the bell without my permission, you will not get any benefit for yourself.” Wait until I give permission! Then both your and my wishes will come true. Take your time!
With these words, the rabbit ran away from the tree and hid in the grass.
- Now, so be it, I allow it, ring the bell! - the rabbit shouted from the shelter.
The bear raised his paw and struck the bee's nest three times. The nest fell to the ground, the bees flew up and furiously attacked their offender. They surrounded the bear in a dense swarm and stung him painfully from all sides. Some even got into his nose. From pain and fear, the bear forgot about everything in the world and started running. And the rabbit crawled out of the grass and ate all the honey.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru